From The Mind of Merc - Discrimination

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about discrimination.

Is there a bigger coward than the prejudiced white male?
Seriously - what exactly is there to fear in those who are different to ourselves? And why does someone being black, brown, oriental or, alternatively, female, transsexual or non-binary have an impact on their right to exist or be treated any different to others? 

Aside from the ridiculousness of this concept, the ideology on which it is based is also inherently flawed.

To explain this, let’s take a look at two of the main types of discrimination:

1)      Racism

The frankly sickening belief that the colour of someone’s skin determines their worth or their right to exist.
Supposedly, this is based on this misplaced belief that people with darker skin are in some way inferior or present a threat. However, given there have been so many cases of white people attacking black people because of this, it is more obviously and painfully clear to see that white people are in fact the ‘threat’ as the violence, aggression and depravity that is so feared by the racists is more often enacted by them.  If it wasn’t so unnecessary, awful and tragic it could perhaps be viewed as ironic.

Examples:
-          Emmett Till 
-          Frank Morris 
-          Jesse Thornton 
-          Willie James Howard 
-          Louis Allen 
-          Isaac Woodard 
-          Yusef Hawkins 
-          James Craig Anderson 
-          Ocoee Massacre 
-          The Scottsboro Boys 
-          Tulsa Race Riots 
-          Buffalo Shooting 
(This is sadly just a handful of available examples and does not include those killed by police officers or white supremacist groups.) 

Not only that but given the commonly accepted theory of the origin of life that suggests that all humans (or homo sapiens) came from Africa it could safely be presumed that the original humans were, in fact, black. Consequently, it stands to reason that black people are, in fact, the predominant race on the planet and the efforts of prejudiced white men to oppress or worse obliterate black people categorically demonstrates their determination not only to assert an unfounded superiority but also shows their own cowardice.

2)      Sexism

The extremely outdated and inherently flawed belief (which is extremely relevant at the moment) that a person’s gender determines their intelligence or ability to contribute to society. Historically, this contribution cannot be fairly judged as the existing predominance of men has led women to consistently have their input to major achievements and developments obliterated and obscured - either by being overruled or by having their male counterparts blatantly steal from them.

Examples:
-          Margaret E. Knight 
-          Rosalind Franklin 
-          Marthe Gautier 
-          Esther Lederberg 
-          Jocelyn Bell Burnell 
-          Lise Meitner 
-          Ada Harris 
-          Candace Pert 
-          Frieda Robscheit-Robbins 
-          Trota of Salerno 
-          Mary Whiton Calkins 
-          Colette 
-          Margaret Keene 
-          Elizabeth Magie  

Again, as stated above, it could be said this prejudice is also flawed.
Biologically speaking, all human embryos start out as female – it isn’t until around 6 weeks into gestation that any present male hormones kick in and affect in utero development (hence why men have nipples, an enlarged genital bud – compared to the smaller one of the female - and a raphe line). Ergo the female of the species could be said to be the predominant gender on this planet but, yet again, the prejudiced white male seeks to overrule, undermine and supersede what is presumably a perceived threat. 

Ultimately, it becomes clear in both cases that the average white male could in fact be viewed as the inferior or rather the subordinate species on the planet. Sadly, the overall effect is that the bigger danger seems to come from this ‘subordinate’ species (aka the prejudiced white male) in their excessive efforts to overrule and dominate those who theoretically ‘came first’ and, in doing so, inadvertently create a reversed self-fulfilling prophecy by enacting on their victims the subjugation they themselves fear.

This is sad for a number of reasons – not only because of the mindless violence and senseless loss of life that results but also just think what could have been achieved so far in history if women hadn’t been continually oppressed, belittled and blocked out. If they had been allowed a voice, to put forward their ideas and suggestions and have them heard and valued, to share the role that the said white male seems determined to steal or hog for themselves for no reason other than their own misplaced belief in a non-existent superiority.
Just think what heights we might have reached if black people had been treated equally and been allowed to basically exist unscathed. What might the lives lost through the violence perpetrated by their oppressors have contributed to our overall development? 

And all it would take would be for the prejudiced aggressors to open their eyes to look at the reality not only of the world but the impact of their discrimination upon it. To consider a point of view other than their own and display some sign of the humanity they so proudly claim and the compassion which is supposed to be deeply rooted in human nature. To realise that other people on this planet have just as much right to respect and to exist and that collaboration and cooperation presents infinitely greater benefits and requires considerably less effort than persecution and oppression.

It is, after all, not impossible for the discriminatory to change their ways – just take a look at the work of Daryl Davis  – and although the prejudiced white male may have the louder voice it is by no means the only one. 

So while the immediate future may perhaps look bleak there is always the possibility of progress.
Yes, Roe vs Wade has been overturned but there was a time before it existed – and that changed.
There was a time before the Civil Rights Act existed – and that changed. 
So maybe this is time before true equality and justice exist. And maybe that too can change.

From The Mind of Merc - NotAllMen

 Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about the infuriating hashtag which is #notallmen.

I'm not going to go into a lot of argument about the topic. Instead, I'm just going to say this:

From The Mind of Merc - Comebacks

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about some of the best comebacks in the world which, perhaps unsurprisingly, have come from women. Comebacks such as when Muhammed Ali was travelling on an aeroplane, he was asked to fasten his seatbelt.

His response: "Superman didn’t need no seatbelt."

The airhostess’s reply: "Superman didn’t need no airplane either."

Or when Noel Coward commented on Edna Ferber’s choice of clothing by saying "You look almost like a man", Edna Ferber replied "So do you."

Not even women are safe from female retorts. For example, when Miriam Hopkins encountered a wannabe starlet and was told "Did you know I’ve insured my voice for a thousand dollars." Hopkins response was "That’s wonderful. What did you spend the money on?"

Ilke Chase experienced a similar situation when an actress approached her and said "I enjoyed reading your book. Who wrote it for you?" An unphased Ilke retorted "Darling, I’m so glad you liked it. Who read it for you?"

And there is, of course, the infamous encounter when Clare Booth Luce moved aside from a doorway to allow Dorothy Parker to go through first and remarked "Age before beauty." To which Dorothy Parker immortally replied "Pearls before swine."

When it comes to comebacks, Dorothy Parker is probably the queen of them all.

For example, on being told Coolidge had died, she remarked "How could they tell?"

After being interrupted on her honeymoon by a query as to why her book review was late she said "I’m too fucking busy, and vice versa."

Talk about Burn!

The wit displayed in these few simple sentences demonstrates how women can be (and are) incredibly funny, intelligent, talented, and capable of contributing so much but for some reason throughout history they have been oppressed, ignored, betrayed and lied to just so men can come out ‘on top’

I personally think it speaks volumes when the word ‘feminism’ doesn’t mean the rise of women to the subjugation of men but instead equality of the sexes (if you don’t believe me – after all, I am a woman – may I humbly suggest you look it up).

Feminism is an incredibly simple idea but a vitally important one for two crucial reasons.

1) Look at this list of women who have achieved amazing things but been sidelined by their male co-workers

- Rosalind Franklin: scientist whose work on DNA with Raymond Gosling led to Watson and Crick’s breakthrough

- Alice Guy: first female studio director and owner whose husband convinced her to combine their studios under his name

- Elizabeth Magie: created Monopoly 30 years before Charles Darrow – who sold it to Parker Brothers for millions

- Lise Meitner: physicist who discovered nuclear fission with Otto Hahn who won the Nobel prize but refused to give Jewish refugee Meitner credit

- Chien-Shiung Wu: a physicist who discovered the law of parity. Her 2 male colleagues men received the Nobel Prize for their work

- Margaret Keane: artist who created the ‘Big-Eyed Waifs’. Her husband convinced her (through threats) to put his name on them.

- Jocelyn Bell Burnell: the first person to observe radio pulsars. Her 2 male colleagues received a Nobel Prize for their work, unlike Burnell.

- Anna Arnold Hedgemann: organised the 1963 Washington march but left out of the “Big 6” who were credited with its organisation

- Margaret Hamilton: wrote the code that put the first men on the moon. But have you ever heard of her?

Imagine what they could have achieved if they’d been supported instead of downtrodden

2) Up until the 1970s(!), women did not have the following (what might be viewed as basic) right

- Women couldn’t protect themselves from workplace harassment

- Women couldn’t refuse their husbands sex – marital rape was not a crime

- Women couldn’t get a divorce for domestic violence – proof of a husband’s infidelity was needed for a divorce

- Women couldn’t get the morning after or birth control pill

- Women couldn’t receive direct consultation about their own physical or mental health

- Women couldn’t own a bank or open a bank account

- Women couldn’t be judges or serve on a jury

- Women couldn’t be astronauts

- Women couldn’t purchase athletic shoes or be part of the Olympic Games

- Women couldn’t get into ivy league university

- Women were obstructed from studying law

And while a lot has been achieved, there is still a LONG way to go.

Feminism is not even a female-only concept. For example:

This is what a feminist looks like:

And there have been many, many, examples of those who grasp just how important it is:

William Golding: I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men, they are far superior and always have been.

Hugh Jackman: I’m for gender equality because it should never have been any other way

John Legend: All men should be feminists. If men care about women's rights the world will be a better place.

Mahatma Gandhi: Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity, the female sex

Prince Harry: We know that when women are empowered, they immeasurably improve the lives of those around them – their families, their communities and their countries

Joseph Gordon-Levitt: What feminism means to me is that you don’t let your gender define who you are – you can be who you want to be, whether you’re a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever

John Stuart Mill: The legal subordination of one sex to the other -- is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement

But if you need further reasons why women are not to be underestimated or indeed messed with, consider this:

- Women are able to bleed for 1 whole week every month and not die

- Women are able to create life inside their own bodies

- Women are experts at doing multiple tasks all at once

- Women use both sides of the brain (men predominantly use only the left side of their brains)

- And finally, women are experts at getting blood out of clothing

Just remember – women are not the subjugators. The majority of women are not out to ‘control’ or oppress men. They do not want to get their own back. They want equality and an equality that will benefit everyone.

So maybe the answer to the question what does a feminist look like should be ‘Look in a mirror’